Vaping device maker sponsoring public health research

A historically black college in Tennessee is planning to research the impact of electronic cigarettes and vaping with a grant from vaping device maker JUUL Labs.

Meharry Medical College in Nashville says that it and JUUL Labs have structured the $7.5 million grant in ways meant to ensure the "full autonomy" of the new Meharry Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health, including "sole ownership of the sponsored research and complete control over publication of the findings."

A statement from Meharry's president and CEO, Dr. James Hildreth, says few issues require more research than "the rising prevalence of e-cigarettes, including how they affect young people."